


christmas traditions

by duelistkingdom



Series: 12 days of Christmas 2020 [2]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, First Date, First Time Kiss, M/M, Yami Yuugi | Atem Has His Own Body, disneyland tokyo date, first time date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:48:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28071984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/duelistkingdom/pseuds/duelistkingdom
Summary: who better than someone new to teach christmas traditions about to make jonouchi enjoy christmas again?
Relationships: Atem/Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler, Dragonshipping - Relationship, Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler/Yami Yuugi
Series: 12 days of Christmas 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2054562
Kudos: 4





	christmas traditions

Jonouchi had been nervous around Atem since Atem got to stay. He knew that he had interacted with Atem before without nerves but that was back when Atem and Yugi were sharing a body. It was much harder to ignore that Atem had this presence about him that made it easy to get a crush on him. In fact, Atem was attractive too. This presented a problem because Jonouchi had been trying so hard to convince himself that all his feelings were simply just really intense feelings of friendship. He’d been surprised to discover just how close Atem already considered them. He supposed that tracked since as far Atem was concerned, he and Jonouchi had known each for four years now.

The real problem this presented was that Atem... was a very touchy feely friend. Atem would constantly give hugs or even just hold hands simply because he could. And this made Jonouchi hyper aware of his feelings for Atem rather quickly. In fact, all Jonouchi could focus on most days is how badly he wanted to kiss his friend. This was bad, Jonouchi decided rather quickly and had gone out of his way to avoid Atem simply because he didn’t know how Atem would react to Jonouchi having... well, feelings for him. He needed some time alone to figure out how to deal with his feelings without making things complicated between them. This, of course, didn’t work out as planned since it seemed like Atem was going out of his way to hang out with Jonouchi. Not only that, Atem was always around Yugi and Yugi was the one that Jonouchi wanted to talk about his feelings towards Atem. Except because Atem and Yugi were rarely separate, he never got a chance to. There was only one person left that Jonouchi could turn to in moment’s like this: Mai.

“You must got it real bad if you’re comin to me for advice,” Mai said before taking a long sip of her coffee with a teasing grin. Of course, she was right about one thing: he did have it bad for Atem. The missing point, however, was that Jonouchi probably would’ve turned to Mai for dating advice at some point. If anything, he knew Mai wouldn’t go blabbing like Anzu might and he knew that Mai would try her best to help out. That made her the obvious choice to confide into. “So. Let me get the right. You thought the crush was on Yugi at first but now that Atem’s around as himself, you realized it was on him?”

Jonouchi nodded, well aware it was fairly hard to explain. That was another reason Mai was the obvious choice: because she was dating Isis, she was in the loop of what exactly was up with Atem and Yugi. Even Jonouchi was a little confused by it. “Yeah,” he said, slumping back in his chair before sitting back up when Mai raised an eyebrow at him. “Atem seems to think we’re best friends too. I guess that makes sense cause –“

“Cause he was helping you this whole time too,” Mai finished for him with a slight nod and a knowing grin on her face. “Seems that you two were also dueling with each other and growing together too, even if the finer details were a bit muddy.” She sighed as she set her coffee down, leaning forward across the table. “Have you considered that maybe he might like you back?”

He’d considered it, of course. He never stopped thinking about how nice it might be if Atem liked in that way right back. But for every fantasy scenario Jonouchi drummed up where Atem liked him back, there was also the nightmare scenario that Atem didn’t. Some of them weren’t as bad as others but there was the chance it might make thing awkward between them. Or that it might mean he was overstepping some invisible boundary that he didn’t know existed. Either way, it was a risk and Jonouchi was never good at making calculations for risks. He was good at charging ahead blindly. He was good at making mistakes. “It’d be nice if he did,” Jonouchi said, staring at his untouched coffee. “But what if I take that risk and it ruins everything?”

“Jonouchi, do you think I would be dating Isis if I didn’t take a risk,” Mai said softly and Jonouchi looked away from her gentle gaze. “In fact, we’re friends because I decided to take a risk too. Everything that can make you happy requires taking that risk. You have to take that leap of faith if you want happiness. Ask him out.”

Easier said than done. The Kame Game Shop was the usual hang out spot for all their friends and Jonouchi was running out of excuses. At some point, Jonouchi just needed to take that risk. He couldn’t keep it in and at some point, he managed to corner Atem while Yugi wasn’t around. _Just take that leap of faith_ , Jonouchi thought to himself as he reached for Atem’s hand. Atem turned and grinned. “Hey, Jonouchi,” he said rather brightly with the relaxed smile that pulled at Jonouchi’s heart strings. “What’s up?”

“Er, I was wondering if Yugi would mind if I stole you away for Christmas,” Jonouchi said, not really thinking about what he was saying anymore. If he thought, he’d overthink and he couldn’t have that. No, better to say whatever flew into his head. “Cause I thought you might like to see some Christmas traditions and well, I mean...”

Atem titled his head, a confused look on his face. “Christmas? What’s that?”

“It’s a holiday,” Jonouchi said, realizing that if Atem was sharing memories with Yugi then Atem wouldn’t have any memories of Christmas. “Uh, it’s a secular holiday with religious roots. Some people just celebrate for an excuse to exchange presents.”

“Oh,” Atem said, still looking rather mystified. “If it’s a holiday, then wouldn’t my partner and his parents want me to stick around? Isn’t that what people do on holidays?”

“Yuge and his family don’t celebrate Christmas,” Jonouchi said with a shrug. “They’re Jewish, ergo Christmas isn’t exactly their thing. Look, just... think about it, okay? As I said. Like to show you some Christmas traditions.”

“But why would being Jewish mean they don’t celebrate Christmas?”

Jonouchi didn’t know how to explain the long history in regards the Judaism and Christianity and the various reasons that a Jewish family might consider celebrating Christmas a pointless act. He was certain that Yugi could probably explain it better than he could ergo he shrugged. “You’d have to ask Yuge that,” he said simply. “I just figured it might be nice for us to hang out one on one, dude.”

“Oh,” Atem said and Jonouchi thought maybe it was starting to click together in his head. “Alright. That sounds nice.”

And for the first time in literal years, Jonouchi was actually looking forward to Christmas. He was counting down the days to Christmas again. He’d gone out of his way to secure tickets to Disneyland Tokyo and sure, it was a bit much for a first date. But he wanted to do this right and he didn’t care if it was a little bit expensive. Besides, from what he’d seen... Atem liked nice things. Surely he could appreciate a day trip. He stressed about if he should go casual or dress down. He stressed about making sure his car was clean if Atem was going to be in it. Everything had to be just right, after all. And then it arrived: Christmas day. He felt very awkward about picking up Atem up, especially when Grandpa Mutou was already at the counter. Especially when Grandpa Mutou seemed well aware of what was going on. Yui was insisting on putting another jacket on Atem while Atem was protesting he was fine. “Hey, Atem,” Jonouchi called, waving up the stairs. “Ready to go?”

Atem looked over at Jonouchi with a grin, waving a gloved hand at him. Jonouchi had to assume that Yui had made Atem wear the gloves. He was certain Atem would be grateful for being bundled up when they stepped outside but he always had to be a bit dramatic. “Yeah,” he said, bounding down the stairs two at a time as Yui protested that Atem was going to break his neck if he kept being that reckless. “Mo – Yui! I’m fine!”

Jonouchi laughed. “I dunno, man, aren’t you from Egypt,” Jonouchi said as he clapped Atem’s back, causing Atem to light lurch forward. “It’s a bit colder out there than you’re probably used to. You might want to listen to Mrs. Mutou on this one.”

“How many times do I have to tell you kids to call me Yui,” Yui said as she followed after, wrapping a scarf around Atem with a look of concern. “You two kids have fun, okay? Atem, make sure to call when you’re on your way home. And before you ask again, yes, Yugi will be fine.”

“Are you sure,” Atem asked, frowning. “He and I haven’t really been apart in four years...”

Jonouchi didn’t know how to address that. He didn’t want to overstep since Atem and Yugi’s relationship was special. They shared everything for the past four years and it was still an adjustment for the both of them. “As Yugi told you and as I keep saying, it’s okay for you to have your own life,” Yui assured, smoothing over his hair. “Go! Have your own life!”

Atem didn’t look entirely convinced but nodded anyway as he turned to Jonouchi, reaching out to grab his hand. Jonouchi wasn’t really surprised that Atem did that but he was surprised at how willing he was to do so in front of others. “Alright, Atem,” Jonouchi said, rather awkwardly leading him out into the snowy day to his truck. “We’re taking a little bit of a trip. Won’t take long but it’ll be fun!”

Jonouchi had opened the door for Atem and Atem climbed in. “Where are we going, anyway?”

“It’s a surprise,” Jonouchi said with a grin as he started up the truck. He had debated telling Atem up front but he figured Atem might not have the context. “So... uh, does it feel weird adjusting to the modern world?”

Atem had shucked off the scarf with an annoyed look on his face before pausing. He shrugged. “Somewhat,” he said. “For a while, all I remembered was nothing but what my partner remembered. All I knew was the modern world. Getting my memories means I remember two different versions of the world. Sometimes it feels like I don’t belong in either...”

“Hey, don’t say that,” Jonouchi said, slightly alarmed. “Course you belong here. With your friends. Isn’t that why those old Gods let you stick around? Surely they wouldn’t have done that if you didn’t belong here.”

Atem seemed to consider this before slightly perking up. “I suppose you’re right,” he said with a bright grin that made Jonouchi’s heart flutter. “I suppose I just feel weird not having a next threat to worry about.”

Of course. That big golden lady’s statement that there was no next threat. Jonouchi personally found it hard to believe himself. From spending every single moment worrying about the looming threat over their heads to just being able to just _be_. It seemed a little too good to be true at times. “You know, if it’s the future you’re worried about, the one thing you should is know is no one’s got anything figured out,” Jonouchi said, not entirely sure if he was hitting the mark. “Sure, Anzu knows what she’s going to do but she’s the exception to the rule.”

This actually seemed to hit the mark as Atem looked a little bit relieved. “I suppose that means it’s okay that I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do next?”

“Nah,” Jonouchi said with a grin. “That’s normal. Most of us don’t know what we’re going to do next. I know I wanna try being a pro Duelist but that doesn’t mean it’s going to work out. Everyone’s a little bit lost. It’s okay if you don’t know what to do next immediately after savin the world.”

“Thanks,” Atem said and for once, he seemed genuinely relaxed. “It feels weird to not have the pressure of saving the world on my shoulders. Like I’m doing something wrong by not looking for the next threat.”

“You’re not doing anything wrong by simply being, dude,” Jonouchi said, more reflexive than anything. At this point, he knew what it was like to grow up a little bit too fast. He suppose some part of him always knew it wasn’t normal that if he didn’t cook dinner, he wouldn’t get to eat that night. It wasn’t normal that he felt the crushing weight to save his sister’s vision and it wasn’t okay that he felt the need to pay off his father’s gambling debts because he knew his father would never pay them off himself. And he knew that Yugi had been right that one night that Jonouchi had confessed his fears and Yugi had told him that he was nothing like his father. It still weighed in the back of his mind. “We’re both eighteen. We shouldn’t be carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders.”

The conversation lightened from that point and Jonouchi was enchanted by Atem’s smile. During the drive, Atem tried to teach Jonouchi how to say the big golden lady’s name but he just never could get it right. Eventually, Jonouchi gave up and joked he’ll never get it right. But the one thing he did seem to get right was the choice of location for a first date. Atem’s eyes were full of wonder as the Disneyland Tokyo castle came into view and he seemed excited by it. “Is it really a Christmas tradition to go here,” Atem asked as he looked out the window. “Seems a bit excessive.”

“Well, it’s not exactly an every year tradition,” Jonouchi said with a grin as he found a parking spot, “but I figured your first Christmas should be somethin special.”

There was something almost magical about seeing Atem’s wonder as they wandered the park, checking out rides and various games offered at the Penny Arcade and Jungle Carnival. Atem, as per usual, was absolutely unbeatable. Not only that, Atem seemed to win every prize he set his sights on. Atem shoved another prize into Jonouchi’s arms with a beaming grin. “I won this for you,” he said, rather proud of himself.

“Hey, thanks, man,” Jonouchi said, almost melting at the grin on Atem’s face. “I’ll consider it a Christmas gift. How about I get us lunch? Seems only fair.”

“But you paid for the tickets and drove us here,” Atem protested. “I feel like I should get lunch.”

“Nah, it’s tradition. You gotta give out Christmas gifts,” Jonouchi said, refusing to let Atem pay for lunch. Sure, it wasn’t going to be great on his wallet but at this point, every single yen spent was worth it to see Atem’s smile and relax. “Consider this a Christmas gift from me.”

Atem leaned in, his hand grasping Jonouchi’s and his fingers intertwining with his. Jonouchi tried to ignore how his heart skipped a beat. “You’re being way too nice,” Atem said teasingly. “Is that part of Christmas tradition?”

“Nah, I think that’s part of the tradition of being on a date,” Jonouchi said with a light shrug, trying to be rather casual about it. “You gotta be nice on a date.”

“A date,” Atem said, sounding rather mystified and questioning. “People come to Disneyland for dates?”

“Yeah,” Jonouchi said as they stopped in front of the nearest restaurant and came face to face. “That’s what we’re doing, right?”

“We are?”

It was then that Jonouchi realized he never actually asked Atem on a date. He asked Atem if he wanted to hang out and now Jonouchi feared that he might have ruined everything. “I,” Jonouchi said, his brain scrambling to come up with something to say. Unfortunately, Atem was just a little too pretty for his own good and it simply made it harder to think. “Er, yeah. I guess I never actually said the word until now, huh?” Atem shook his head. “Is it okay if it is a date?”

The moment felt like it lasted forever but maybe not. Maybe it was only a second. Maybe Jonouchi was overthinking yet again. Either way, it was agonizing as the question hung in the air and all Jonouchi wanted was for it to be over with. However, when Atem’s questioning look turned into a bright smile, Jonouchi knew the answer before Atem even said it. “Yeah,” Atem said with a light nod, “it’s okay with me if this is a date. But you know... I don’t know a lot about dating traditions.”

Mai was right, as it turned out. Happiness did require a risk and boy, did it feel great when it paid off. Jonouchi laughed as he pulled Atem towards the mistletoe. “Man, have I got so many other traditions to teach you about, then,” Jonouchi said, feeling just a little bit lighter. He pointed up towards the mistletoe and Atem’s eyes looked up at the plant. “You see that plant up there? It’s called mistletoe. Whenever you stand under it, you gotta kiss whoever you’re next to. And what do you know, there just happens to be a cool guy right next to you!”

Atem smirked as he stood up on his tip toes, his hands moving to Jonouchi’s hips. “That sounds like an excellent tradition,” Atem said, his lips rather close to Jonouchi’s. “Mind if I try it out?” And when Jonouchi nodded, Atem’s lips met his. Yeah, this was easily the best Christmas Jonouchi’s ever had.


End file.
